NEW DELHI: Instead of profiting, these Sikh taxi drivers have been offering free rides to the travellers flooding into Christchurch on Friday afternoon.
In an act of kindness, Manjinder Singh, a Blue Star Taxi driver and his colleagues made a snap decision to help the travellers in need and distress.
“We were talking to each other and there was one thought whether we should finish because the police, there was continuous warnings coming out,” Mr Singh told TVNZ1’s Seven Sharp.
“We decided that we will offer them the free rides, whosoever is in stress, whosoever needs.
“It was just a natural an human reaction for us because we know the police guys were working hard, the hospital emergency were working hard. And as we are in the transport and service industry so we thought why not, we can contribute,” he said.
[also_read url=”https://www.siasat.com/news/next-its-you-nz-pm-ardern-receives-death-threats-social-media-1479864/”]“Next it’s you”: NZ PM Ardern receives death threats on social media[/also_read]
The drivers who wanted to push back against the gunman’s ( Brenton Tarrant) hatred have been praised on social media for their kind gesture.
“If we have to encounter that negativity and hatred there is only one single solution – spread the love, spread the positivity. That’s the only thing to counter that negativity and hatred,” Mr Singh said.
“We thought we should be there helping them, we should be there as Kiwis, we should be there as humans.”
[get_fb]https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=366854397244967[/get_fb]
Singh and colleagues is part of a large community that has been offering great support. There were also many gurdwaras offering food and accommodation to the families of the victims.
The attack left 50 dead and at least 40 injured when a 22-year-old gunman, whos name is Brenton Tarrant, a self-avowed white supremacist from Australia, livestreamed much of the attack and spread a manifesto on social media claiming it was a strike against Muslim “invaders”.